Choosing the right domain name plays a critical role
It’s a common misconception that web design is the first step in developing a website. In reality, choosing the right domain name plays a critical role in shaping the overall design, helping create a strong logo, and influencing the direction of your website. But how do you go about picking the perfect domain name for your website? Below are some tips (and tools) to help you choose the best domain from the start..
A great domain name is an essential part of your website’s identity. It often gives the first impression to potential visitors (or customers) about the content or purpose of your site. However, when starting a web project, it can be challenging to come up with catchy business names that also make for a great domain.
Clients often have many questions when choosing a domain name, such as:
Should I use hyphens in my domain name?
Should I go with my business name or a catchy phrase related to my business?
Can I have multiple domain names, and how will this impact SEO?
Should I include keywords in my domain name, and how do I pick the right one?
To help you navigate these questions, we’ve put together this quick guide filled with practical tips for selecting the best domain name for your website.
Discover more insights, expert tips, and the latest trends in web design, development, SEO, and digital marketing to help your business thrive online.
Simple things to remember when choosing the best domain name
When choosing a domain name for a website remember it will usually be the first thing people see (and remember), so you need to get it right!
Consider the following:
- Keep it short in length without losing branding and identity
- Include keywords / phrases related to business / industry / topic included
- Stick with .co.uk / .com for main domain – forward any others
- Remember that you can own multiple domain names, all of which can point to a single domain.
- Make it memorable and perhaps catchy
- Consider using hyphens – or not!
- Make it distinguishable from competitors – Not too similar to competitor domain names
- Consider alternative domain names that may not include the name of your company
- Make sure it’s easy to say, mispronunciation could affect word of mouth marketing
- Make it easy to spell, not too confusing or complicated
- Your domain name should reflect your product / service
- Don’t violate a trademark of another company, competitor or not
- Buy it quickly, before someone else does
Let’s consider some of these suggestions in a bit more detail…
Choose a name that is not too long and is not too confusing, you don’t want visitors to have a hard time remembering it. The shorter your domain name, the easier it will be for people remember. If your site domain name is long and difficult to pronounce, people won’t remember it. Don’t try to be too clever, if a domain name is hard to spell or too complex it makes for typing errors. Shorter domain names fit better on business cards and marketing materials too.
Try using keywords that describe your business and the services. For example, www.CateringServices.co.uk or WeddingPlanner.co.uk maybe a better option if your company name does not describe your service. Include the keywords that people enter when searching for your products or services as it can improve rank on search engines and it also often communicates the service you are offering in the search engine lists. It’s always best to get your business name and perhaps consider forwarding that to a sensible URL which is not blatently spammy with keywords.
Extensions are the part at the end of Web addresses.
There are plenty of new domain name extensions to choose from today – from the original .com and .co.uk to niche extensions like .guru, .photography, and even .blog.
Domain extensions can have specific uses, here are some examples:
- .co.uk implies a “commercial uk company” and is the most widely used extension in the UK.
- .uk domain is simply a shorter and snappier version of .co.uk
- .com stands for “commercial,” and is the most widely used extension in the world. .com domains are registered in the USA and are therefore normally associated with US companies. However, similar to UK domains, there is no restriction on who or where the owner of the domain can be.
- .co : an abbreviation for company, commerce, and community
- .info : informational sites
- .net : technical, Internet infrastructure sites
- .org : non-commercial organizations and non-profits
- .biz : business or commercial use, like ecommerce sites
- .me : blogs, resumes or personal sites
It’s sensible to protect your brand and buy multiple domain names – purchasing various domain extensions, as well as misspelled versions of your domain name can prevent competitors from registering other versions, but always buy .co.uk and .com extensions first. Why? Because these are the 2 most WIDELY used domain extensions and the extensions internet users / your potential customers, are familiar with. Many users, especially those who aren’t as tech-savvy, will automatically type “.com” at the end of every domain without thinking about it. Buying these 2 extensions also protects your brand. You can always forward domains to your main domain.
A good domain name can make a positive and lasting impression. While protecting your brand is extremely important, you might chose more catchy domain name for marketing purposes.
Discoverable domain names often include real words and phrases. The trick to a discoverable name is find a phrase that other people would likely think of and type in a search engine. Unfortunately it’s hard to find one that hasn’t yet been registered, good ones usually have.
You can choose a catchy domain name, one which is easy for customers to remember and which describes your products and then forward it to your main domain. Remember that you won’t get keyword / phrase boost in this case but your customers might remember the domain more easily.
There are pros and cons for using hyphens in a domain name.
Cons:
- hyphens make it hard to communicate your domain name verbally, you wouldn’t believe how many people don’t even know what a hyphen is!
- hyphens can be a sign of spam domains which you do not want to be associated with.
- hyphenated domains are prone to typos
- if you choose a domain name with hyphens because the domain you want is already taken, then your users COULD end up at your competitor’s site if they forget to type in the hyphen.
However, there are some pros:
- hyphens help separate multiple words in a domain name, making it less likely that a person will accidentally misspell the name. Having words crunched together makes it hard on the eyes.
- hyphens might be your only option for protecting your brand
- it might be a shorter option than available alternatives
Research reasons for and against hyphens and make your decision wisely.
Avoid domains too similar to a competitor – If a competitor has already bought a domain name such as a .com but a .co.uk version is available it is tempting to buy it. However, your website could be confused with a popular site already owned by your competitor. A customer could easily type in .com and not .co.uk. Don’t choose a domain that is the plural, hyphenated or misspelled version of an already established domain of a direct competitor.
Your preferred domain name might not be available so just in case your first choice of domain name is already taken, consider all alternatives. Consider all the other suggestions in this post, keywords, locality, product, service, domain extension, etc. Make a list in order of preference. It’s best to choose a domain that protects your brand but you might also buy domains that are good for marketing and perhaps more memorable for your customer.
When someone hears or sees your domain name for the first time, they should be able to instantly guess the type of content that might be found on your website.
Make your domain name easy to say, easy to spell and not too confusing or complicated to communicate.
Having an unusual and original domain name might make it memorable, however, novelty isn’t always a good thing. If you modify the spelling of a common word to get that .co.uk extension you might confuse your audience. Word-of-mouth advertising is powerful, but it only works when people can actually pronounce and communicate your domain.
Domain names can be registered as trade marks. They are subject to the same rules and standards as all other types of trade marks. If you are in doubt that you might be infringing a trademark then check before you buy. If you choose a domain name that conflicts with any one of the millions of commercial names that already exist, you risk losing it. If you’ve put money and sweat into marketing your website and then are forced to give the domain name up, your business is likely to suffer and it might be a fatal!
Once you’ve considered all the above tips for choosing the best domain name for your business, make sure you buy it quick and before your competitors!
Tools for choosing the best domain name
Here are a few tools for finding the best domain name for your business: